Archbishop Desmond Tutu in a letter to the United Church of Canada urges the denomination to take peaceful, economic action against the Israeli occupation of Palestine. He calls for the United Church at its General Council meeting in August to, “join with other denominations around the globe who have decided to boycott and divest from companies that benefit from the occupation.”

Desmond Tutu first rose to prominence in the struggle against apartheid. He was one of the initial and strongest advocates for boycotts, divestment and sanctions in South Africa. In 1984 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Tutu has been a frequent visitor to the Holy Land. In the letter he draws strong parallels between apartheid in South Africa and the treatment of Palestinians. “I saw the marks of apartheid in the policies of the Israeli government continued to the present day. The Palestinians are forced to live in segregated areas, often relocated to less desirable land so Jewish settlers can live in fine red ceramic-roofed houses with paved roads while most Palestinians live in squalor in villages and refugee camps. Water is diverted to settlers so that they can have nice green lawns, irrigated fields and community swimming pools while Palestinians endure shortages and dusty roads. I have looked at this and seen the ugly face of apartheid and the racism within it.”

Tutu’s letter to the United Church is timely as it arrives before the triennial meeting of the denomination in Cornerbrook, Newfoundland and Labrador scheduled for Aug. 8-15. At its last meeting, the United Church voted in favour of boycotting goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements. Since then, SodaStream one of three targeted companies, have moved their facilities out of the occupied area. Ahava cosmetics, another targeted company, is reported to be ready to leave Palestinian territory also.

Tutu’s letter also calls attention to Canada’s, “complicity in Palestinian suffering under occupation.”

Rev. Steve Berube, co-chair of the United Network for Justice and Peace in Palestine and Israel (UNJPPI), sees this letter as being important. “Archbishop Tutu, is one of the few people who can speak with authority when comparing his life in South Africa to what he has actually seen in Palestine.”

Berube spoke of his own experience in the West Bank, “Like virtually every other human rights observer in Palestine, I witnessed Israeli violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws as well as the Geneva Conventions on a daily basis. With last year’s war in Gaza more people are beginning to wake up to the horrors of the occupation. The only way the illegal occupation will end is through civil society putting economic pressure on Israel and forcing them to negotiate seriously.”

It’s not hard to imagine what would happen if lecturers from Tel Aviv University were to preface every event at the institution by noting that their university stands on Palestinian land – First Nations land. By Gideon Levy | Apr. 4, 2015 | 5:00 PM | 5 Published in Haaretz

The Cathedral of St. James, a historic Anglican structure on Church Street in Toronto, was packed. The large, striking stone building, which usually fills up only on Sundays – church attendance is far higher in Canada than in Europe – was crowded last Tuesday evening with hundreds of people who came to hear a talk about a distant land. The event, originally scheduled to take place at the University of Toronto, was moved to the church because the organizers – Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East – did not want to break a strike by university teaching assistants and course instructors. The large organ in the background, the sense of a sacred space, the benches and the lecturer’s dais – the pulpit – created a bit of an odd setting for the speaker from Israel. Initially the dean of the cathedral did not want to allow the lecture to be held in his church, since it is intended for prayer and talks on spiritual themes. However, he was soon persuaded that a speech against the continuation of the Israeli occupation of Palestinians is a spiritual matter. Canada’s liberal circles haven’t lost interest in developments in the Middle East and haven’t abandoned hope for change, even in a period when their government’s support for Israel has reached an almost embarrassingly high level. Canadians are divided between supporters of Prime Minister Stephen Harper – a right-wing nationalist, who’s the most automatic backer of Israel in the world – and his rivals. Harper is Benjamin Netanyahu’s identical twin when it comes to fearmongering as a method of survival. The one is obsessed with Iran, the other with ISIS. They’re good friends, of course. The maple tree, whose leaf is the national symbol of this vast country, the world’s second largest in area, has begun to bud, but spring is tarrying. Canada is torn between the intense winter that continues to grip its east, and the milder weather in the far west; there was a difference of 40 degrees Celsius between the temperatures in Montreal and Vancouver last week.

The United Network for a Just Peace in Palestine and Israel (UNJPPI)[i] stands in solidarity with the people of Gaza who are facing an overwhelming military attack by Israel. The Israeli rockets and bombing in Gaza, while claiming to be strategically directed to military targets in Gaza, are killing many civilians as well as destroying essential non-military infrastructure. The tragic loss of lives of children is particularly heart-wrenching. The support of the US and other western powers, including Canada, for Israel’s action puts the onus unfairly on Hamas and the Palestinians for ending the violence. The Palestinian people have been living under the oppressive Israeli occupation of their lands since 1967. We believe that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian Land is the major contributor to the injustice that underlies the violence that has erupted in this conflict and that an end to the occupation is necessary for peace. The devastating loss of lives on all sides is tragic. As friends of the Palestinians in Gaza as well as the West Bank, and in solidarity with our friends in the vibrant Israeli peace movement, we recognize the frustration and desperation that they experience from living in what has been called “an open-air prison” created by the illegal Israeli occupation and blockade. We hear the pleas of Israelis who live in fear in villages near the Gaza border for an end to the oppression that provokes the rocket attacks from Gaza. Our tears flow as we hear the cries of parents for the loss of their children. We call for an end to the violence that is resulting in the tragic loss of civilian lives, including children and women. We are concerned about the imbalance in the media reports. The international condemnation of the rocket attacks from Gaza and support for Israel’s right to defend its citizens is the predominant tone of many media reports. While we condemn the rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza, we are aware that the humanitarian situation of the population in the Gaza Strip is unbearable. Balance in media reporting and political analysis must recognize that life is precious, and loss from bombs or starvation, is equally tragic. In the words of an Ecumenical Accompanier currently in Palestine, “Are not the lives on the receiving end of the bombs in Gaza as precious as those on the receiving end of the rockets in Israel?” Peace requires restraint. We urge that both sides cease the attacks, but as Rabbi Arik Ascherman (Rabbis for Human Rights) an Israeli Rabbi, notes, “With our greater power comes greater responsibility.” With the people of Gaza, we have many questions. Our fear is magnified by the threat of Israel’s warning of increased retaliation and support from Western leaders. When will it end? When will the international community stop justifying Israel’s right to protect itself at the expense of innocent civilians in illegally occupied territories? When will Canadians say, “Enough is enough?” What can we do? Ecumenical Accompanier Dawn Waring quotes Palestinian author Sami Al Jundi who puts it poignantly: “My children will be safe only when your children know safety, and your children will be safe only when my children know safety ... but actually there’s no such thing as my children and your children. There’s only our children.” ~ And Dawn concludes: “Will you lend your voice to the cause of justice and peace ~ for all our children?” In support for the action of the United Church’s General Council, we ask members to urge the Canadian government to provide leadership among nations advocating for the end of the Israeli blockade of Gaza in order to facilitate a solution for peace with justice for all people in Israel and Palestine. May our prayers for peace join with the prayers of our friends in Palestine and Israel who are committed to working in non-violent ways for a just peace even in this critical moment. May God’s Spirit of peace be over all.

[i]UNJPPI Mission StatementIn discipleship of Christ, and in solidarity with churches and other partners in the Middle East as well as globally and in Canada, this Network covenants to engage, consolidate, nourish, and channel the energy in the United Church of Canada toward the goal of a just peace in Palestine/Israel, primarily through calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and for equal rights for all who live in Palestine/Israel, by facilitating education, promoting partnerships, coordinating advocacy, advancing policy and encouraging action.

http://cascholars4academicfreedom.wordpress.com/California Scholars for Academic Freedom** opposes in the strongest possible terms House Resolution 35, a resolution which calls upon university administrators to deny First Amendment rights to students and faculty.

News Sources

Other Blogs

A network of the Saskatchewan Conference of the United Church of Canada.

The United Network for Justice and Peace in Palestine and Israel may make available certain information provided by third parties related to the circumstances in Palestine and Israel. Information is provided for educational purposes. Any opinions expressed in the material is that of the source and not necessarily that of the network.